Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine has secured regulatory clearance for its shots to be inoculated in the European Union, according to Bloomberg.
- The European Medicines Agency recommended that the vaccine be given conditional approval. The European Commission will fast track efforts to grant this.
- The EU purchased 200 million doses of the vaccine with an option for 200 million more. Initial deliveries were expected in April but have been delayed.
- J&J chief scientific officer Paul Stoffels welcomed the development as a “landmark moment.” Company shares rose 0.6% in trading before U.S. exchanges opened.
- The vaccine is the fourth to be cleared in the region after those made by AstraZeneca-Oxford, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Moderna.
- J&J vaccines could be stored in a refrigerator for long periods, unlike two of the other s available in the region.
- Some of J&J’s advanced trials were conducted in the United Kingdom but has not cleared it for use.
